Longtime Toronto Raptors guard A.J. Lawson is heading toward free agency this summer, and the Raptors have the option to convert his contract to a full deal. They should avoid what is certain to be a blunder and keep him on his two-way deal, no matter what.
The Raptors tried their best to take a big swing at the NBA Trade Deadline and were denied by the sheer terribleness of the contracts they have signed players to. Instead, they churned the bottom of their roster, saying goodbye to Ochai Agbaji, adding Trayce Jackson-Davis and briefly holding Chris Paul on the roster before waiving him as he retired.
They have an open roster spot heading into the stretch run, with a plethora of options available to them as to how they use it. They could sign a player off of the buyout market, a veteran with playoff experience to shore up their depth before they go to war. They could sign a young player out of the G League to a 10-day deal to give him a shot in the big leagues.
Toronto could also convert on of their players on a two-way deal to a full NBA contract. This would do two things: first, they would be eligible for the playoffs, and second, they would be under contract into the summer on what would presumably be a team-friendly deal.
Chucky Hepburn and Alijah Martin are on two-way deals, but both are rookies and outside of even the stretch rotation; the Raptors can keep them on those contracts through into next year. A.J. Lawson, however, is in his fourth and final season of eligibility and will not be able to sign a two-way deal next summer.
The obvious move, therefore, is for the Raptors to convert his contract to a full roster deal, filling that final spot and retaining him through the summer and beyond. The problem with that plan, however, is that he doesn't deserve a full contract -- and signing him to one would be an obvious blunder for the Raptors.
The Raptors shouldn't sign A.J. Lawson
Lawson has appeared in 13 games for Toronto this season, shooting an abysmal 39 percent from the field and averaging more turnovers than assists. He is a shaky shooter who fills up the box score with volume, not efficiency. That kind of player has no real place in the NBA.
If Lawson is not good enough to run the show for bench units -- and he's not -- he doesn't have the skillset to thrive as a secondary, off-ball player. He doesn't space the court reliably and his defense, while solid, doesn't have the game-breaking qualities of Jamal Shead or even Alijah Martin.
The Raptors have players like Lawson, and while his size at 6'6" and his motor are positives that have kept him around, he hasn't differentiated himself. Giving him a roster spot over literally anyone else is almost certainly a mistake.
Toronto should sign someone who may actually help them, either in the playoffs this season (a Chris Boucher reunion, anyone?) or moving forward. Lawson is neither, and so he should not be gifted a roster spot.